I’ve been on an Americano kick all summer, going through Campari like it’s getting discontinued. This week, though, I started thinking about what other kinds of low-ABV drinks I could make to switch things up. The ideal cocktail would be as refreshing as the Americano, yet with a different flavor profile, and I’m happy to report, friends, that I have succeeded in creating one.
Mezcal hasn’t made a ton of On the Sauce appearances, and it’s a shame, because the Mexican spirit is good stuff. For the unfamiliar, picture (using your taste buds) a smokier tequila. The biggest difference between tequila and mezcal, matter of fact, is that the latter’s agave — which, unlike tequila, doesn’t need to be blue agave — is cooked rather than steamed.
I know, I know — you’re salivating in anticipation over the idea of incorporating more mezcal into your life, and you totally should. However, our latest recipe, dubbed Low-Key Remedy, calls for less than an ounce of the spirit because, well, it isn’t designed to be super boozy, remember? Mezcal should complement this cocktail, not act as the star.
Low-Key Remedy’s refreshing component, aside from St. Petersburg Distillery orange liqueur Tippler’s, is one of my go-to additions: grapefruit juice. To make the libation even lighter, I added a splash of soda water. Combine those ingredients with a little honey for balance and you land a session cocktail (is that a thing?) meant to be enjoyed many times over in one sitting.
The following cocktail is everything I was hoping for. I can drink several on a long, hot afternoon, unbothered by thoughts of how I’ll feel the next day. And, you know, I think I will right now.
Low-Key Remedy
Makes 1
2 ounces grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce mezcal
3/4 ounce Tippler’s Orange Liqueur
3/4 ounce dry sherry
1 ounce orange-blossom honey syrup (add 3 to 1 ratio of honey and water to a small bowl, nuke for 15 seconds and stir)
2 ounces soda water
Add your grapefruit juice, mezcal, Tippler’s, dry sherry and orange-blossom honey syrup to a cocktail shaker. Top with ice and shake until well-chilled. Add 1 large ice cube to a rocks glass, then strain in your cocktail. Top with soda water and garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Connect with CL columnist Chris Fasick (@cfasick) on Twitter, or email him at cdfasick@gmail.com if there’s a cocktail or recipe you’d like featured.
This article appears in Jul 12-19, 2018.
